Image forming system, information carryover method, server apparatus, storage medium, image forming apparatus, and image processing system

ABSTRACT

There is provided an image forming system including at least a first image forming apparatus that includes a first image forming unit and an obtaining unit configured to obtain operation-related information related to an operation of the first image forming unit. The image forming system further includes a carryover unit configured to carry over, to a second image forming apparatus, information related to an operation of a second image forming unit of the second image forming apparatus among the operation-related information obtained by the first image forming apparatus when the second image forming apparatus is newly used in the image forming system. The operation-related information includes operation history information of the first image forming unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an image forming system, aninformation carryover method, a server apparatus, a storage medium, animage forming apparatus, and an image processing system.

Description of the Related Art

In image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, andmultifunction peripherals, techniques are known in which image formingoperations are adjusted in accordance with a history of apparatusoperations or a user's preferences. For example, Japanese PatentPublication No. 4784122 discloses an image forming apparatus that, onthe basis of a past operation history, adjusts the spacing androtational speed of a transport roller pair that transports paper.Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-95776 discloses an image formingapparatus that recognizes an evaluation item that might draw muchinterest from a user based on a history of operations, such as theviewing and adjustment of images by the user, and sets a criterion withregard to the recognized evaluation item to execute adjustmentprocessing such as color correction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, it takes a relatively long time to accumulate a sufficientamount of history information for appropriately adjusting or settingapparatus operations. For example, if, when a printer is introduced intoa new environment, it is necessary for the new printer to collectinformation for operation adjustment from scratch, the operations of thenew printer will not be optimal until a sufficient amount of informationhas been accumulated. However, if there is already an existing printerin the same environment, information already collected by the existingprinter is likely to contain information useful for the new printer aswell. This situation applies not only to image forming apparatuses suchas printers, but also to image processing apparatuses, such as scanners,in general.

It is therefore desirable to realize a mechanism that allows forproviding as appropriate image processing operations as possible withoutwasting time on re-collecting information that has already beencollected in the past.

According to one aspect, there is provided an image forming systemincluding at least a first image forming apparatus, wherein the firstimage forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit and anobtaining unit configured to obtain operation-related informationrelated to an operation of the first image forming unit, and wherein theimage forming system further includes: a carryover unit configured tocarry over, to a second image forming apparatus, information related toan operation of a second image forming unit of the second image formingapparatus among the operation-related information obtained by the firstimage forming apparatus when the second image forming apparatus is newlyused in the image forming system, and the operation-related informationincludes operation history information of the first image forming unit.A corresponding method, server apparatus, program, image formingapparatus, and image processing system are also provided.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of a printer device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of an image forming system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfigurations of an image forming apparatus and a server apparatusillustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a graphical userinterface (GUI) for accepting an input of user preference information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a GUI for acceptingan input of user preference information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for designating aninformation carryover source apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for accepting anadditional input of user preference information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the basic flow ofprocessing executed by the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingexecuted by the server apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of carryoverinformation obtainment processing executed by the image formingapparatus.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of an image forming system according to a variationexample.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of image forming apparatuses illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingexecuted by a center machine according to a variation example.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of carryoverinformation obtainment processing executed by the image formingapparatus according to a variation example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intendedto limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features aredescribed in the embodiments, but limitation is not made an inventionthat requires all such features, and multiple such features may becombined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the samereference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, andredundant description thereof is omitted.

1. Overview

This section will primarily describe an example of techniques accordingto the present disclosure being applied in an image forming system thatincludes a printer. However, the techniques according to the presentdisclosure can be broadly applied in image processing systems whichinclude image processing apparatuses not limited to printers (e.g.,copiers, multifunction peripherals, or scanners). Unless specifiedotherwise, each of the constituent elements such as apparatuses,devices, modules, and chips described below may be constituted by asingle entity, or may be constituted by multiple physically-distinctentities.

1-1. Example of Configuration of Image Forming Unit

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of a printer device 100, which serves as an image formingunit of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Here, asan example, the printer device 100 is assumed to be a color laserprinter that prints in four colors, namely yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan(C), and black (K), using the electrophotographic method.

Referring to FIG. 1, the printer device 100 includes, for each of fourcolor stations, a primary transfer roller 4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K, aphotosensitive drum 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, a charging unit 7Y, 7M, 7C, 7K, anda developing unit 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K. The photosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C,and 5K, the charging units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K, and the developing units8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are mounted in corresponding ones of cartridges 22Y,22M, 22C, and 22K, which are removable from a main body (also called a“housing”) of the printer device 100.

Each of the photosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K is constituted by analuminum cylinder and an organic photoconductive layer applied to theouter surface of the aluminum cylinder, and rotates in the clockwisedirection in response to the transmission of drive power from a drivemotor (not shown). The charging units 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K includecharging rollers 7YR, 7MR, 7CR, and 7KR, respectively, and the chargingrollers 7YR, 7MR, 7CR and 7KR uniformly charge the surfaces of thephotosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K, respectively. A scanner unit 10then selectively irradiates the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 5Y,5M, 5C, and 5K with light, which forms electrostatic latent images onthe photosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K. The developing units 8Y,8M, 8C, and 8K include developing rollers 8YR, 8MR, 8CR, and 8KR,respectively, and the developing rollers 8YR, 8MR, 8CR, and 8KR usetoner to visualize the electrostatic latent images formed on thephotosensitive drums 5Y, 5M 5C, and 5K, respectively.

During image formation, an intermediate transfer belt 12 rotates in thecounterclockwise direction in the figure while being in contact with thephotosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K. A primary transfer bias isapplied to the primary transfer rollers 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K, and theprimary transfer bias causes the primary transfer of the visible imageson the photosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K onto the intermediatetransfer belt 12. The color visible image transferred onto theintermediate transfer belt 12 undergoes secondary transfer, onto paper2, at a nip part (secondary transfer position) between a secondarytransfer roller 9 and the intermediate transfer belt 12. The primarytransfer rollers 4Y. 4M, 4C, and 4K and the secondary transfer roller 9rotate with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 12.

The visible image partially remains on the intermediate transfer belt 12without being transferred to the paper 2 at the secondary transferposition. This residual visible image is removed through a cleaningoperation. In the cleaning operation, the residual visible imagetransported by the intermediate transfer belt 12 to a cleaning blade 12a is scraped off by the cleaning blade 12 a, and collected in a wastetoner receptacle 12 b.

A cassette tray 101 is a container that contains a plurality of sheetsof paper (also called “recording material”) 2. A paper feed roller 102rotates under an attractive force from a paper feed solenoid (not shown)during the rotation of a paper feed motor (not shown). The paper feedroller 102 feeds the paper 2 from the cassette tray 101 to a transportpath 25, which transports the paper 2 to a registration roller (alsocalled a “register roller”) 3. A registration sensor (also called a“register sensor”) 16 is disposed partway along the transport path 25,and the register sensor 16 detects a leading end of the paper 2. Theregister roller 3 transports the paper 2 to the secondary transferposition in accordance with the timing at which the register sensor 16has detected the leading end of the paper 2.

A fixing unit 13 includes a fixing roller 14 to heat the paper 2 and apressure roller 15 to press the paper 2 against the fixing roller 14,and fixes the color visible image transferred to the paper 2 whiletransporting the paper 2. The fixing roller 14 and the pressure roller15 are formed having hollow shapes, and a heater is built into aninterior of the fixing roller 14. The paper 2 on which the color visibleimage has been formed is heated and pressurized while being transportedby the fixing roller 14 and the pressure roller 15, and as a result, thetoner of the visible image is fixed to the surface of the paper 2. Afterthe visible image has been fixed, the paper 2 is discharged to adischarge tray 27 by a discharge roller 52. Note that a fixing anddischarge sensor 17, which is disposed downstream from the fixing unit13, detects the presence of the paper 2.

1-2. Description of Issues

Consider an idea of adjusting the image forming operations performed bythe printer device 100 described above in accordance with a deviceoperation history or a user's preferences. For example, the frequencywith which different paper sizes or paper types have been used in thepast, or an average printing ratio, can serve as indicators for how muchrollers should be preheated while the device is standing by. Becausecurling is more likely to occur when the temperature or humidity of thedevice's operating environment is high, lowering the operating speed orthe fixing temperature in consideration of the ambient temperature orambient humidity is also beneficial in terms of preventing curling.Improved image quality can also be provided to the user by automaticallycalibrating the device when environmental conditions changesignificantly or before performing a large number of prints. However,the way in which the device's operations are adjusted affectsperformance indicators such as image quality, quietness, andproductivity, and there are tradeoffs between these performanceindicators. It is therefore desirable to first understand whichperformance indicators are important to a user, and then adjustoperations so as to improve, or avoid degrading, those performanceindicators.

However, once an apparatus is introduced into an environment, it takes arelatively long time to accumulate a sufficient amount of informationfor appropriately adjusting or setting apparatus operations. If, whenanew apparatus is introduced into an environment, it is necessary forthe new apparatus to collect information for operation adjustment fromscratch, the operations of the new apparatus will not be optimal until asufficient amount of information has been accumulated. The task ofinputting a user's preferences into the new apparatus also places aburden on the user. However, if there is already an existing apparatusin the same environment, information already collected by the existingapparatus is likely to contain information useful for the new apparatusas well.

Accordingly, as will be described in detail in the following sections,the present embodiment introduces a mechanism that enables informationcollected by a certain apparatus in the past to be carried over toanother apparatus. This provides as appropriate operations as possiblewithout wasting time on re-collecting information that has already beencollected in the past.

2. Configuration of Image Forming System

2-1. Overall Configuration

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of an image forming system 1 according to the presentembodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image forming system 1includes a user terminal 200, an image forming apparatus 230, and aserver apparatus 260.

The user terminal 200 is a terminal apparatus used by a user of theimage forming system 1. The user terminal 200 may be a general-purposeinformation terminal such as a personal computer (PC) or a smartphone,or may be a dedicated terminal specialized for a specific businesspurpose. The user terminal 200 includes an operation/display unit 201and a communication I/F 202. The operation/display unit 201 includes adisplay that displays images and information and an input device thataccepts operations made by the user (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, akeypad, or a touch sensor). The communication I/F (interface) 202 is aninterface for communication between the user terminal 200 and otherapparatuses. When the user makes an instruction to print through theoperation/display unit 201, the communication IF 202 transmits a printjob to the image forming apparatus 230.

The image forming apparatus 230 includes the printer device 100, whichwas described with reference to FIG. 1, as well as a video controller240 and a printer engine 250. The video controller 240 includes anoperation/display unit 241, a CPU 242, ROM 243, RAM 244, an HDD 245, anda communication I/F 246. The operation/display unit 241 includes, forexample, an operation panel and operation buttons. The CPU (CentralProcessing Unit) 242 is a processor that controls the overall functionsof the image forming apparatus 230. The ROM (Read-Only Memory) 243 isnon-volatile memory storing a boot program executed at the beginning ofthe startup of the CPU 242. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 244 is whatis known as main memory, and provides a temporary storage region for theCPU 242. The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 245 is an auxiliary storage device,and stores computer programs for the operations of the image formingapparatus 230, data of images to be printed, and operation-relatedinformation (described later). The communication I/F 246 is an interfacefor communication between the image forming apparatus 230 and otherapparatuses. A print job to be executed by the image forming apparatus230 is received, for example, from the user terminal 200 via thecommunication I/F 246, or is accepted via the operation/display unit241. The communication I/F 246 transmits the operation-relatedinformation, which is collected by the image forming apparatus 230, tothe server apparatus 260 over a network.

The printer engine 250 is an image processing engine dedicated to thecontrol of the printer device 100. The printer engine 250 includes a CPU251, ROM 252, RAM 253, an I/O port 254, and a system bus 255. The CPU251 is a processor that controls image forming operations performed bythe printer device 100. The ROM 252 is non-volatile memory, and storesprograms executed by the CPU 251. The RAM 253 provides a temporarystorage region for the CPU 251. The I/O port 254 is connected to variousactuators and sensors in the aforementioned printer device 100, andsends control outputs to the actuators and accepts sensor inputs. Thesystem bus 255 handles the bidirectional exchange of signals among theCPU 251, the ROM 252, the RAM 253, and the I/O port 254.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a single image forming apparatus 230, theimage forming system 1 may include a plurality of image formingapparatuses. Likewise, the image forming system 1 may include aplurality of user terminals.

The server apparatus 260 is an apparatus that centrally manages theoperation-related information collected by the image forming apparatus230. The server apparatus 260 may be, for example, a data server orstorage server connected to a local area network (LAN) in a company, ahome network, or a cloud network. In the present embodiment, the serverapparatus 260 stores the operation-related information received from theimage forming apparatus 230 in association with identificationinformation identifying the image forming apparatus 230. Theoperation-related information received from the image forming apparatus230 can include, for example, user preference information, operationhistory information, and environmental condition information. As will bedescribed later, when a new image forming apparatus begins being used inthe image forming system 1, the server apparatus 260 takes information,of the operation-related information obtained from the image formingapparatus 230, which is related to the operation of the new imageforming apparatus, and carries that information over to the new imageforming apparatus.

2-2. Functions of Image Forming Apparatus

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfigurations of the image forming apparatus 230 and the serverapparatus 260 illustrated in FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the imageforming apparatus 230 includes a user preference obtaining unit 310, ahistory obtaining unit 315, an environmental condition obtaining unit320, an information retaining unit 325, an operation adjusting unit 330,a job control unit 335, and a communication unit 340.

The user preference obtaining unit 310 obtains user preferenceinformation, expressing the user's preference with respect to at leastone performance indicator for the image forming operations, as part ofthe operation-related information of the image forming apparatus 230.The performance indicators of the image forming operations can include,for example, at least one of the following:

-   -   Image quality: quality of a printed image    -   Quietness: little amount of noise being produced during printing        operations    -   Productivity: ability to print more images in a set amount of        time    -   Apparatus lifetime: length of service life of the apparatus    -   Energy-saving performance: low power consumption    -   First output time: a shorter time from the start of printing        operations to when the printing of the first page is complete

Note that the first output time for a printer may also be referred to asthe first print output time (FPOT). The “user's preference” with respectto these performance indicators typically means how much importance theuser places on each performance indicator (relative to the otherperformance indicators).

The user preference obtaining unit 310 may obtain the user preferenceinformation by, for example, causing a GUI for inquiring with the userabout their preferences to be displayed in a screen of theoperation/display unit 241, and accepting a response to the inquirythrough the GUI. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first example of theGUI for accepting an input of the user preference information. An inputwindow 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 is a GUI for making inquiries in whatis known as a questionnaire format. The input window 400 displays sixquestions pertaining to the performance indicators of image formingoperations, with multiple options available for each question. The usercan enter an answer to each question by selecting (e.g., by touching) anoption that matches their preferences and tendencies. The input window400 may be displayed during the initial setup period of the imageforming apparatus 230, and at any point in time when the user wishes tochange the user preference information. The input window 400 may bedisplayed in a screen of the operation/display unit 201 of the userterminal 200. Here, the “user” may be a person who uses the imageforming apparatus 230, or may be a manager or engineer who manages theoperation of the image forming apparatus 230.

The user preference obtaining unit 310 can, for example, acquire userpreference information that expresses the user's preference as anumerical value on the basis of the answers provided by the user in theinput window 400. For example, each option in the input window 400 isassigned a preference score in advance, as shown in the following table.Note that here, the first output time is not treated as a performanceindicator.

TABLE 1 Example of Assignment of Preference Scores to PerformanceIndicators by Option Preference score Ques- Image Life- Energy tionOption quality Quietness Productivity time savings Q1 a11 0 0.5 0.5 10.7 a12 1 0.5 0.5 0 0.3 a13 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 Q2 a21 0.5 1 0.5 0.5 0.5a22 0.5 0 2 0.5 0.5 Q3 a31 1 0.5 0.5 0 0.3 a32 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 a33 00.5 2 1 0.7 Q4 a41 2 1 0.5 0.3 0.6 a42 0 0.5 2 0.7 0.4 Q5 a51 0.5 0.5 20 0.3 a52 0.5 0.5 0 2 0.7 Q6 a61 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 2 a62 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 1a63 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 0

Then, the user preference obtaining unit 310 calculates a preferencescore for each performance indicator by totaling the preference scoresassigned to each performance indicator through the options selected asanswers to the six questions. For example, if option all is selected forquestion Q1, option a22 for question Q2, option a33 for question Q3,option a42 for question Q4, option a5 for question Q5, and option a62for question Q6, the preference scores are calculated as follows:

-   -   {image quality, quietness, productivity, lifetime, energy        savings}={1.3, 2.3, 8.8, 3.5, 3.6}

This example of the preference scores indicates that it is preferable tothe user that productivity is high even if image quality and quietnessare low. Assuming the number of performance indicators is N, the userpreference information can be an N-dimensional vector indicating thevalues of such preference scores.

Instead of obtaining user preference information in questionnaireformat, as in the example in FIG. 4, the user preference obtaining unit310 may allow the user to directly input a value of the preference scorefor each performance indicator. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating asecond example of the GUI for accepting an input of the user preferenceinformation. An input window 500 shown in FIG. 5 has five sliders 501 to505, each of which makes it possible to designate a preference score(e.g., a level of importance to the user) on a 10-point scale, for thefive performance indicators of image quality, quietness, productivity,lifetime, and energy savings. The user can enter a preference score bydesignating a higher score for the performance indicator he or sheconsiders more important and selecting the OK button. In the example ofFIG. 5, the following preference scores can be obtained, for example.

-   -   {image quality, quietness, productivity, lifetime, energy        savings}={7.0, 2.0, 3.0, 6.0, 3.0}

This preference score example indicates that the user places arelatively higher importance on image quality and apparatus lifetimethan on the other indicators. The user preference obtaining unit 310outputs the user preference information obtained in this manner to theinformation retaining unit 325.

The history obtaining unit 315 obtains operation history information,which is a history of image forming operations, as part of theoperation-related information of the image forming apparatus 230, when aprint job is executed by the printer device 100 of the image formingapparatus 230. Here, the history of operations can include, for example,at least one of the following:

-   -   Paper size: the size of the paper consumed (A4, A3, letter, or        the like)    -   Paper type: the type of paper consumed (standard paper, glossy        paper, or the like)    -   Number of printouts: the number of sheets of paper consumed    -   Average printing ratio: an average value of the printing ratio        per paper or job basis

The average printing ratio is, for example, an average value of percentdensities of respective pixels, on a color-by-color basis, across aprinted image, totaled for the four colors. For example, in a case wherean image is printed in which half of the printing region of the paper isuniformly occupied by a color consisting of 100% magenta and 100% cyan,the average printing ratio will be (100+100)×½=100%. The historyobtaining unit 315 outputs the operation history information to theinformation retaining unit 325.

The environmental condition obtaining unit 320 obtains environmentalcondition information indicating environmental conditions in theoperating environment of the image forming apparatus 230, periodically,for example. Here, the environmental conditions can include, forexample, at least one of the following:

-   -   Ambient temperature: the temperature of the operating        environment    -   Ambient humidity: the humidity of the operating environment

The cycle at which the environmental condition information is obtainedmay be any length, e.g., several minutes, an hour, several hours, or thelike. The environmental condition obtaining unit 320 may, for example,use a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor (neither of which areshown) to measure the ambient temperature and ambient humidity at ameasurement timing which arrives periodically. Additionally, theenvironmental condition obtaining unit 320 may calculate an average ofthe measurement values resulting from a plurality of measurements. Theenvironmental condition obtaining unit 320 outputs the environmentalcondition information to the information retaining unit 325.

The information retaining unit 325 retains the operation-relatedinformation pertaining to the image forming operations of the printerdevice 100 by storing the information in the HDD 245, for example.Typically, the operation-related information is information used toadjust or set the image forming operations. The operation-relatedinformation can include the user preference information input from theuser preference obtaining unit 310, the operation history informationinput from the history obtaining unit 315, and the environmentalcondition information input from the environmental condition obtainingunit 320. As described above, the user preference information can beobtained during the initial setup period of the apparatus. On the otherhand, the operation history information is obtained each time theprinter device 100 executes a print job, and is accumulated as timepasses. The environmental condition information is obtainedperiodically, and is also accumulated as time passes.

The information retaining unit 325 may aggregate, over a given period(e.g., one day), values of each of information items in the operationhistory information obtained per job basis, and then store a result ofthe aggregation. For example, the number of printouts for each papersize can be aggregated from the information of the paper size and thenumber of printouts. Likewise, the number of printouts for each papertype can be aggregated from the information of the paper type and numberof printouts. Furthermore, the number of printouts for each of averageprinting ratio ranges, as indicated below, can be aggregated from theinformation of the average printing ratio and the number of printouts.

TABLE 2 Example of Number of Printouts for Each Average Printing RatioRange Range of Average Printing Ratio 0-1% 1-2% 2-5% 5-10% 10-20% 20-50%50-100% Number of 200 250 30 25 10 5 0 Printouts

Additionally, the information retaining unit 325 can retain theperiodically-obtained environmental condition information in associationwith a time or a time period. For example, the environmental conditioninformation can be stored in the form of the temperature and humidity atmidnight (or midnight to 1:00 a.m.), the temperature and humidity at1:00 a.m. (or 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), the temperature and humidity at11:00 p.m. (or 11:00 p.m. to midnight), and so on in this manner.

Furthermore, the information retaining unit 325 may generate analysisresult information by analyzing one or both of past operation historyinformation and past environmental condition information, and may storethe generated analysis result information as the operation-relatedinformation. For example, the information retaining unit 325 mayestimate the remaining lifetime of the image forming apparatus 230(e.g., as a percentage) on the basis of the total number of printoutswhich have been executed. The remaining lifetime may be estimated on thebasis of another parameter, such as the total number of rotations of thefixing roller (which can be obtained as the operation history). At leastone of the following can be included as another example of the analysisresult information:

-   -   Likelihood of curling: high/low    -   Frequency of printing onto glossy paper at a high printing        ratio: high/low    -   Low environmental variability and mainly a low printing ratio:        applicable/not applicable        This analysis result information can also be stored in the HDD        245 as part of the operation-related information.

Using the operation-related information retained in the informationretaining unit 325, the operation adjusting unit 330 adjusts or sets theimage forming operations of the printer device 100. For example, theoperation adjusting unit 330 may adjust or set a variety of operationparameters in the printer device 100 on the basis of the user preferenceinformation, depending on how much importance the user places on each ofthe performance indicators. Additionally, the operation adjusting unit330 may adjust or set a variety of operation parameters of the printerdevice 100 on the basis of one or more of the above-described operationhistory information, environmental condition information, and analysisresult information. Here, the operation parameters of the printer device100 which can be adjusted or set can include, for example, at least oneof the following:

-   -   Level or timing of roller preheating    -   Paper transport speed (rotational speed of transport rollers)    -   Spacing between transport roller pairs    -   Waiting time before transitioning to sleep mode    -   Color correction profile    -   Cleaning frequency

To describe a specific example, a given printer has a function forstopping the heater within the fixing roller 14 while in a standby mode(i.e., stopping preheating) in order to improve the energy-savingperformance. Preheating the fixing roller 14 is particularly useful forimproving the image quality in a case where printing onto large-sizedpaper is carried out frequently. On the other hand, in a case whereprinting onto large-sized paper is not carried out frequently, thedisadvantage of the energy wasted from preheating may outweigh theeffect of improving the image quality through the preheating.Accordingly, when energy-saving performance is to be prioritized, orwhen the operation history indicates that printing onto large-sizedpaper is not often carried out, the operation adjusting unit 330shortens the time for driving the heater in the fixing roller 14, orlowers a target temperature for the preheating.

The operation adjusting unit 330 may execute calibration for adjustingthe operation parameters of the printer device 100 at a timingdetermined on the basis of the operation-related information retained bythe information retaining unit 325. The timing of the calibration maybe, for example, a timing at which environmental conditions such as theambient temperature and the ambient humidity are expected to changesignificantly, or a timing at which a large number of printouts areexpected to be performed.

The job control unit 335 controls execution of print jobs in the imageforming apparatus 230. For example, when a print job has been receivedfrom the user terminal 200 via the communication unit 340, the jobcontrol unit 335 controls the printer device 100 through the printerengine 250 to form an image onto paper in accordance with the print job.Additionally, when the execution of the print job ends, the job controlunit 335 causes the history obtaining unit 315 to obtain the operationhistory information for the job which has been executed.

A communication unit 340 receives the print job from the user terminal200 using the communication I/F 246. Additionally, the communicationunit 340 transmits the progress and execution result of the print job tothe user terminal 200. Additionally, in the present embodiment, thecommunication unit 340 uses the communication I/F 246 to transmit theoperation-related information of the image forming apparatus 230, whichis retained by the information retaining unit 325, to the serverapparatus 260. The transmission of the operation-related information tothe server apparatus 260 may be performed periodically (e.g., once aday), or each time the information has been updated. The communicationunit 340 may transmit identification information (e.g., a serial number)identifying the image forming apparatus 230 to the server apparatus 260along with the operation-related information. Additionally, thecommunication unit 340 may transmit apparatus information (e.g., a modelnumber) pertaining to the function, configuration, and use of the imageforming apparatus 230 to the server apparatus 260 along with theoperation-related information.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus230 is newly put into use in the system, the communication unit 340 canreceive, from the server apparatus 260, operation-related informationwhich has already been collected by an existing apparatus. In thefollowing descriptions, the operation-related information received fromthe server apparatus 260 in this manner will be called “carryoverinformation”. Upon receiving the carryover information from the serverapparatus 260, the communication unit 340 outputs the received carryoverinformation to the information retaining unit 325. The informationretaining unit 325 stores the carryover information in the HDD 245 asoperation-related information. Even at the beginning of use, theoperation adjusting unit 330 can adjust the image forming operations ofthe printer device 100 through the method described in the exampleabove, by using the carryover information provided by an existingapparatus and retained in the information retaining unit 325.

2-3. Functions of Server Apparatus

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the server apparatus 260 includes acommunication unit 360, an information retaining unit 370, and acarryover unit 380.

The communication unit 360 receives the above-describedoperation-related information of the image forming apparatus 230 fromthe communication unit 340 of the image forming apparatus 230. Thecommunication unit 360 outputs the received operation-relatedinformation to the information retaining unit 370. Additionally, when anew apparatus starts being used in the image forming system 1, thecommunication unit 360 transmits, to the new apparatus, carryoverinformation selected by the carryover unit 380 as described later, fromoperation-related information already collected in the past by anexisting apparatus. The carryover information can be provided to the newapparatus in accordance with, for example, an information carryoverrequest which can be received from the new apparatus.

The information retaining unit 370 obtains, via the communication unit360, the above-described operation-related information collected by theimage forming apparatus 230 in the image forming system 1, and centrallyretains the obtained operation-related information. For example, theinformation retaining unit 370 stores the operation-related informationreceived from the image forming apparatus 230 in storage (e.g., an HDD)in association with the identification information and the apparatusinformation of the image forming apparatus 230. The identificationinformation and the apparatus information can, for example, include atleast one of the following:

-   -   Serial number: a number uniquely identifying the source        apparatus    -   Supported paper sizes: paper sizes onto which the apparatus can        print (e.g., A4/A3)    -   Supported paper types: paper types onto which the apparatus can        print    -   Function type: single-function peripheral (SFP) or multifunction        peripheral (MFP)    -   Model number: number related to the functions and configuration        of the apparatus    -   Date of manufacture: date on which the apparatus was        manufactured    -   Usage type: information identifying the intended use of the        apparatus (e.g., personal or shared use)

The identification information (e.g., the serial number) of the imageforming apparatus 230 may be received along with the operation-relatedinformation, or may be determined from a host name or an IP addressindicated by a received packet. Other apparatus information may bereceived along with the operation-related information, or may beobtained from a database in which identification information andapparatus information are mapped to each other.

As described above, the user preference information is obtained duringthe initial setup period of the image forming apparatus 230, and istransmitted from the image forming apparatus 230 to the server apparatus260. On the other hand, the operation history information and theenvironmental condition information are repeatedly (e.g., periodically)transmitted from the image forming apparatus 230 to the server apparatus26 while the image forming apparatus 230 is operating. The informationretaining unit 370 may aggregate values of each information item in theoperation history information for each apparatus, and retain theaggregated results. Below, Table 3 indicates an example of the userpreference information retained by the information retaining unit 370,and Table 4 indicates an example of the operation history informationretained by the information retaining unit 370.

TABLE 3 Example of User Preference Information Retained in Server Ser.Image Energy No. Quality Quietness . . . Savings 1,234,567 2 5 . . . 61,234,568 9 4 . . . 4 1,234,569 9 9 . . . 1

TABLE 4 Example of Operation History Information Retained in ServerNumber of Printouts per Number of Printouts per Number of Printouts perPaper Size Paper Type . . . Printing Ratio Range Ser. No. A4 A3 . . .Standard Glossy . . . . . . 0-1% 1-2% . . . 1,234,567 0 100 . . . 98 2 .. . . . . 50 40 . . . 1,234,568 150 10 . . . 160 0 . . . . . . 20 100 .. . 1,234,569 0 0 . . . 0 30 . . . . . . 0 5 . . .

In the example indicated by Table 3, the user preference informationexpressing the user's preferences with respect to a plurality ofperformance indicators is retained in association with the serial numberof the apparatus from which the information has been transmitted In theexample indicated by Table 4, the operation history information, whichis aggregated from the history of image forming operations, is retainedin association with the serial number of the apparatus from which theinformation has been transmitted. When new operation history informationhas been received from the image forming apparatus 230, the informationretaining unit 370 can update the operation history information so as toreflect the newly-received information. The environmental conditioninformation and the analysis result information may be retained in thesame manner. Note that the information retaining unit 370 may retain theapparatus information, the user preference information, the operationhistory information, the environmental condition information, and theanalysis result information in separate tables, or may retain some orall of that information in an integrated table.

In a case where an image forming apparatus is newly used in the imageforming system 1, the carryover unit 380 carries over, to the new imageforming apparatus, information, among the operation-related informationwhich has been obtained by existing apparatuses, that is related tooperations of an image forming unit of the new image forming apparatus.The “case where an image forming apparatus is newly used” mentioned hereis assumed to include both a case in which an existing apparatus isreplaced with a new apparatus, and a case in which a new apparatus isintroduced in addition to an existing apparatus.

Here, for descriptive purposes, it is assumed that an image formingapparatus 230A in the image forming system 1 is replaced with an imageforming apparatus 230B which is being newly introduced. A user of theimage forming system 1 can, through a screen of the user terminal 200 orthe image forming apparatus 230B, designate the image forming apparatus230A as an information carryover source and make a request, to theserver apparatus 260, to carry over the operation-related information.FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for designating aninformation carryover source apparatus. A carryover request window 600illustrated in FIG. 6 includes: a checkbox 601 for designating whetheror not to request the operation-related information to be carried over;an input field 602 for inputting the identification information of thecarryover source apparatus; and an input field 603 for inputting apassword. By selecting “yes” in the checkbox 601, entering the serialnumber of the image forming apparatus 230A in the input field 602, andentering a predetermined password in the input field 603, the user canrequest the operation-related information of the image forming apparatus230A to be carried over. Note that if the input is performed through thescreen of the user terminal 200, an identification number of theinformation carryover destination (e.g., the serial number of the imageforming apparatus 230B) can also be entered. The carryover unit 380commences the carryover of the operation-related information between thedesignated apparatuses in response to receiving the informationcarryover request generated in this manner.

When the functions, configurations, and uses of the image formingapparatus 230A and the image forming apparatus 230B are substantiallyequivalent, the operation-related information of the image formingapparatus 230A retained by the information retaining unit 370 can becarried over to the image forming apparatus 230B as-is. However, if thefunctions, configurations, or uses of these apparatuses are different,it may not be possible to carry over the operation-related informationof the image forming apparatus 230A to the image forming apparatus 230Bas-is. Accordingly, by comparing the apparatus information of the imageforming apparatus 230A and the apparatus information of the imageforming apparatus 230B, the carryover unit 380 selects whichinformation, among the operation-related information of the imageforming apparatus 230A, should be carried over to the image formingapparatus 230B. Here, the “apparatus information” is informationpertaining to the function, configuration, and use of the correspondingapparatus, and can include at least one of the supported paper size,function type, model number, date of manufacture, and usage typementioned as examples above. For example, when the image formingapparatus 230A has a function for adjusting the printing speed, but theimage forming apparatus 230B has no such function, the carryover unit380 may exclude, from the carryover information, information items usedfor adjusting the printing speed.

To describe this in terms of the user preference information, the imageforming apparatus 230A uses the user preference information obtainedfrom the user through the GUI illustrated in FIG. 4 to adjust or set theoperations of an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus 230A.The image forming apparatus 230B uses the user preference informationcarried over from the image forming apparatus 230A via the carryoverunit 380 to adjust or set the operations of the image forming unit ofthe image forming apparatus 230B. This reduces the burden on the userinvolved in entering the preference information.

In a case where fewer information items of the user preferenceinformation are included in the carryover information than informationitems which can be used to adjust operations of the image formingapparatus 230B, the image forming apparatus 230B may request that theuser inputs additional user preference information through the UI. FIG.7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for accepting suchadditional input of user preference information. Comparing an inputwindow 700 illustrated in FIG. 7 with the input window 400 illustratedin FIG. 4, questions pertaining to the user's preferences which arefigured out from the carryover information have been disabled, and onlyoptions for answering a new question Q7 are made selectable. This isbecause, for example, the image forming apparatus 230A does not supportthe adjustment of operations pertaining to FPOT, but the image formingapparatus 230B does support the adjustment of operations pertaining toFPOT. For example, if the user selects option a71 in response toquestion Q7, the image forming apparatus 230B can assign a higher valueto the preference score for the first output time than when option a72is selected. The preference scores for image quality, quietness,productivity, apparatus lifetime, and energy-saving performance can becarried over from the image forming apparatus 230A by the carryover unit380 without requiring any interaction with the user.

The carryover unit 380 may select carryover information, among theoperation-related information, to be carried over to the image formingapparatus 230B in accordance with a predefined criterion for eachinformation item of the operation-related information. Specifically,some information items in the operation-related information retained bythe server apparatus 260 can be predefined as items to be excluded fromthe carryover. For example, the remaining lifetime of the apparatus,which was described above as an example of the analysis resultinformation, should be initialized for the new apparatus, and istherefore excluded from being carried over. Some information items maybe predefined so that those items are always included as items to becarried over. For example, if the operating environment is the same, theenvironmental condition information may be included as an item to becarried over regardless of the function, configuration, and use of theapparatus. Other information items can be carried over conditionally onthe basis of the comparison of the apparatus information. For example,information items pertaining to paper size (e.g., the number ofprintouts by paper size) may be carried over between A4-capableapparatuses and between A3-capable apparatuses, but may be excluded frombeing carried over between an A4-capable apparatus and an A3-capableapparatus. Information items pertaining to paper size and informationitems pertaining to paper type may be carried over between SFPs andbetween MFPs, but may be excluded from being carried over between an SFPand an MFP. The same applies to information items pertaining to theaverage printing ratio. Information items pertaining to the number ofprintouts may, for example, be carried over between apparatuses forpersonal use and between apparatuses for shared use, but may be excludedfrom being carried over between an apparatus for personal use and anapparatus for shared use.

2-4. Flow of Processing

(1) Basic Processing of Image Forming Apparatus

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the basic flow ofprocessing executed by the image forming apparatus 230 according to thepresent embodiment. The processing illustrated in FIG. 8 can be realizedby, for example, the CPU 242 executing a computer program loaded intothe RAM 244 from the HDD 245. Note that in the following descriptions,the processing steps may be indicated by an S, indicating “step”.

It is assumed here that the image forming apparatus 230A is introducedinto the image forming system 1, but there is no other existingapparatus and as such, the operation-related information is not carriedover. First, during the initial setup period of the apparatus, in stepS801, the user preference obtaining unit 310 obtains, via a UI, the userpreference information expressing the user's preferences with respect toone or more performance indicators of the image forming operations. Theuser preference information obtained here is retained in the informationretaining unit 325 as part of the operation-related information (e.g.,the information is stored in the HDD 245). Next, in step S802, thecommunication unit 340 transmits the user preference information of theimage forming apparatus 230A to the server apparatus 26 along with theidentification information (e.g., the serial number) of the imageforming apparatus 230A. Then, once the initial setup is complete, theimage forming apparatus 230A enters a standby state of standing by forthe print job.

In step S803, the environmental condition obtaining unit 320 obtains theenvironmental condition information by measuring the operatingenvironment and the environmental conditions of the image formingapparatus 230 using, for example, sensors such as a temperature sensorand a humidity sensor. Typically, the environmental conditioninformation can be obtained periodically. The environmental conditioninformation obtained here is retained by the information retaining unit325 as part of the operation-related information. The informationretaining unit 325 may retain the environmental condition informationobtained by the environmental condition obtaining unit 320 as-is, or mayretain a result of subjecting the information to some kind ofaggregation processing or statistical processing. The environmentalcondition information is stored in the HDD 245, for example.

In step S804, the job control unit 335 determines whether a print jobhas been received. The sequence moves to step S805 if a print job hasbeen received. Meanwhile, the sequence moves to step S808 if a print jobhas not been received.

In step S805, on the basis of the operation-related information retainedin the information retaining unit 325, the operation adjusting unit 330adjusts or sets the image forming operations of the printer device 100.A sufficient amount of the operation-related information has not yetbeen accumulated in the period shortly after the introduction of theapparatus, and thus if there is no carryover information, optimaloperations may not necessarily be achieved as a result of makingadjustments or settings here. The operations can be optimized after acertain amount of time has passed and a sufficient amount of theoperation-related information has been accumulated. Although FIG. 8illustrates an example in which the image forming operations areadjusted or set in response to a print job being received, it should benoted that the image forming operations may be adjusted or set at adifferent timing.

Next, in step S806, the job control unit 335 executes the received printjob. For example, the job control unit 335 controls the printer device100 via the printer engine 250 so that an image for printing is formedon the size and type of paper designated in the job, for a number ofcopies designated in the job. Next, the history obtaining unit 315generates the operation history information for the executed job. Theoperation history information generated here is retained by theinformation retaining unit 325 as part of the operation-relatedinformation. The information retaining unit 325 may retain the operationhistory information generated by the history obtaining unit 315 as-is,or may retain a result of subjecting the information to some kind ofaggregation processing or statistical processing. The operation historyinformation is stored in the HDD 245, for example.

Next, in step S808, the communication unit 340 determines whether or nota timing to transmit the operation-related information to the serverapparatus 260 has arrived. The sequence returns to step S803 if thetiming to transmit the information has not arrived. Meanwhile, if it isdetermined that the time to transmit the information has arrived, instep S809, the communication unit 340 transmits the operation-relatedinformation retained by the information retaining unit 325 in adifferential manner to the server apparatus 260 along with theidentification information of the image forming apparatus 230A asidefrom the information which has already been transmitted. The sequencethen returns to step S803. Steps S803 to S809 can be repeated as long asthe image forming apparatus 230A is operating.

(2) Processing of Server Apparatus

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingexecuted by the server apparatus 260 according to the presentembodiment. The processing illustrated in FIG. 9 can be realized by, forexample, a CPU of the server apparatus 260 executing a computer programloaded into the RAM from the HDD.

First, in step S901, the communication unit 360 stands by to receive theoperation-related information from an apparatus in the system. Thesequence moves to step S902 once the operation-related information hasbeen received. Meanwhile, the sequence moves to step S903 if theoperation-related information is not received.

For example, if the operation-related information has been received fromthe image forming apparatus 230A in step S901, in step S902, theinformation retaining unit 370 stores the operation-related informationof the image forming apparatus 230A in storage in association with theidentification information and the apparatus information of the imageforming apparatus 230A. The information retaining unit 370 may store thereceived operation-related information as-is, or may store a result ofsubjecting the information to some kind of aggregation processing orstatistical processing.

In step S903, the communication unit 360 stands by for an informationcarryover request from an apparatus that is to be newly used. Thesequence moves to step S904 once the information carryover request isreceived. The standby for the operation-related information in step S901and the standby for the information carryover request in step S903 maybe performed substantially in parallel.

For example, if, in step S903, an information carryover requestspecifying the image forming apparatus 230A as the carryover sourceapparatus has been received from the image forming apparatus 230B, instep S904, the carryover unit 380 reads out the operation-relatedinformation from the storage of the image forming apparatus 230A. Then,in step S905, on the basis of a comparison of the apparatus informationof the image forming apparatus 230A with the apparatus information ofthe image forming apparatus 230B, the carryover unit 380 selects thecarryover information, among the read-out operation-related information,which is to be carried over to the image forming apparatus 230B. Next,in step S906, the communication unit 360 transmits the carryoverinformation selected by the carryover unit 380 to the image formingapparatus 230B.

In the selection of the carryover information performed in step S905,some information items may be included in the carryover informationregardless of the result of the apparatus information comparison. Forexample, in a case where an apparatus is being replaced in the sameoperating environment, the environmental condition information and theanalysis result information based on the environmental conditioninformation can always be included in the carryover information.Additionally, some information items may be excluded from the carryoverinformation regardless of the apparatus information comparison. Forexample, the remaining lifetime of the apparatus can always be excludedfrom the carryover information. Other operation-related information maybe included in or excluded from the carryover information on the basisof the apparatus information comparison. The following Table 5 indicatesan example of the comparison of the apparatus information when the imageforming apparatus 230B is the carryover target apparatus from the imageforming apparatus 230A. Here, the serial number of the image formingapparatus 230A is “1234567” and the serial number of the image formingapparatus 230B is “1234568”.

TABLE 5 Example of Comparison of Apparatus Information When Replacingwith Carryover Target Apparatus Ser. Supported Function Model Date ofNo. Paper Size Type Number Manufacture 1,234,567 A4 SFP A1000 2017 Mar.19 1,234,568 A4 SFP A1100 2018 Oct. 20

In a case of replacement with a carryover target apparatus, such as theexample indicated in Table 5, the information items in the operationhistory information which pertain to the paper size and the averageprinting ratio can be included in the carryover information. However,which information items are to be carried over is not limited by theabove example and may be defined in any fashion in connection with whatrelationship the apparatus information of two apparatuses is in.

(3) Obtainment of Carryover Information

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingfor carrying over the operation-related information, executed by theimage forming apparatus 230 according to the present embodiment duringinitial setup. The processing illustrated in FIG. 10 can be realized by,for example, the CPU 242 executing a computer program loaded into theRAM 244 from the HDD 245.

Here, it is assumed that the operation-related information of the imageforming apparatus 230A is carried over to the image forming apparatus230B from the server apparatus 260.

First, during the initial setup period of the apparatus, in step S1001,the information retaining unit 325 causes the carryover request window600, illustrated in FIG. 6, to be displayed in the screen, anddetermines whether or not to request a carryover of operation-relatedinformation on the basis of a user input. Here, if a user inputindicates that a request for carryover of operation-related informationis not to be made, steps S801 and S802, described with reference to FIG.8, are executed. Meanwhile, if a user input indicates that a request forcarryover of operation-related information is to be made, the sequencemoves to step S1002.

In step S1002, the communication unit 340 transmits an informationcarryover request to the server apparatus 260. The information carryoverrequest transmitted here can include the identification information ofthe image forming apparatus 230A, which is the carryover sourceapparatus, and the identification information of the image formingapparatus 230B, which is the request source (carryover destination)apparatus. The information carryover request can further includeauthentication information including a password. Next, in step S1003,the communication unit 340 receives the carryover information providedfrom the server apparatus 260 in response to the information carryoverrequest. Then, in step S1004, the information retaining unit 325 storesthe carryover information received from the server apparatus 260 in theHDD 245 as the operation-related information to be used to adjust or setthe operations of the printer device 100 of the image forming apparatus230B.

Next, in step S1005, the information retaining unit 325 determineswhether or not there are information items missing from the userpreference information included in the carryover information withrespect to the information items which can be used to adjust theoperations of the image forming apparatus 230B. If there is a missinginformation item, in step S1006, the user preference obtaining unit 310obtains additional user preference information through a UI such as theinput window 700 illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, if the imageforming apparatus 230A does not collect a preference score for the firstoutput time, but the image forming apparatus 230B can adjust itsoperations based on a preference score pertaining to the first outputtime, additional user preference information pertaining to the firstoutput time may be obtained. Then, in step S1007, the communication unit340 transmits the obtained user preference information to the serverapparatus 260 along with the identification information of the imageforming apparatus 230B.

The image forming apparatus 230B then completes the initial setup andenters the standby state. The processing executed by the image formingapparatus 230B after the initial setup is complete may be the same asthe processing described as steps S803 to S809 in FIG. 8.

3. Variation Example

In the embodiment described above, there is only one user in the imageforming system 1, or the system makes no distinction between multipleusers that can exist. In contrast, in a variation example described inthis section, users are identified individually and it is made possibleto carry over operation-related information on a user-by-user basis.Additionally, in the present variation example, operation-relatedinformation collected by a plurality of apparatuses can becomprehensively carried over to a single apparatus.

3-1. Overall Configuration

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of an image forming system 1101 according to the variationexample. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the image forming system 1101includes the user terminal 200, a plurality of image forming apparatuses1230, and an image forming apparatus 1260.

Like the above-described image forming apparatus 230, each of the imageforming apparatuses 1230 and the image forming apparatus 1260 includesthe printer device 100 as an image forming unit. However, in the presentvariation example, a video controller 1240 of each of these apparatusesadditionally includes an authentication unit 1247. The authenticationunit 1247 is a device that authenticates users, and may be an IC cardreader or an RF tag reader, an ID/password authentication module, or thelike, for example. For example, when a user who will use the imageforming apparatus 1230 brings an IC card in their possession close tothe authentication unit 1247 of the image forming apparatus 1230, theauthentication unit 1247 reads identification information of the user(e.g., a user ID) which is preregistered in the IC card.

In the present variation example, the image forming apparatus 126 has aserver function for centrally managing operation-related informationcollected by a plurality of apparatuses in the image forming system1101, in the same manner as the server apparatus 260 described above. Tothat end, an HDD 1245 of the image forming apparatus 1260 has a greaterstorage capacity than the HDD 245 of the image forming apparatus 1230.The image forming apparatus 1260 is also called a “center machine”.Aside from the server function, the functions of the image formingapparatus 1260 of the same as the functions of the image formingapparatuses 1230.

3-2. Configuration of Image Forming Apparatuses

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of the image forming apparatuses 1230 and the imageforming apparatus 1260 illustrated in FIG. 11. As illustrated in FIG.12, the image forming apparatus 1230 includes a user identifying unit1305, the user preference obtaining unit 310, the history obtaining unit315, the environmental condition obtaining unit 320, an informationretaining unit 1325, an operation adjusting unit 1330, the job controlunit 335, and a communication unit 1340.

The user identifying unit 1305 uses the authentication unit 1247 toidentify the user who uses the image forming apparatus 1230. The useridentifying unit 1305 then associates user identification information ofthe identified user with operation-related information collected by theinformation retaining unit 1325.

Like the above-described information retaining unit 325, the informationretaining unit 1325 retains the operation-related information pertainingto operations of the printer device 100 by storing the information inthe HDD 245, for example. The operation-related information can includethe user preference information input from the user preference obtainingunit 310, the operation history information input from the historyobtaining unit 315, and the environmental condition information inputfrom the environmental condition obtaining unit 320. In the presentvariation example, the information retaining unit 1325 may, for example,retain the user preference information in association with the useridentification information of the user that entered the user preferenceinformation. Additionally, the information retaining unit 1325 mayretain the operation history information in association with the useridentification information of the user that issued a print job which hasbeen executed. The environmental condition information may be retainedas information which is common for a plurality of users.

Using the operation-related information retained in the informationretaining unit 1325, the operation adjusting unit 1330 adjusts or setsthe image forming operations of the printer device 100. For example, inthe present variation example, the user identifying unit 1305 outputs,to the operation adjusting unit 1330, the user identificationinformation of the user who is attempting to use the apparatus at thepresent time. The operation adjusting unit 1330 obtains, from theinformation retaining unit 1325, the operation-related informationassociated with the user identification information input from the useridentifying unit 1305. The operation adjusting unit 1330 may use theobtained operation-related information to adjust or set a variety ofoperation parameters of the printer device 100. The method by which theoperation adjusting unit 1330 adjusts or sets the individual operationparameters may be the same as a method described above with reference tothe operation adjusting unit 330.

In the present variation example, like the above-described communicationunit 340, the communication unit 1340 receives a print job from the userterminal 200, and transmits the progress and an execution result of theprint job to the user terminal 200. Additionally, the communication unit1340 transmits the operation-related information of the image formingapparatus 1230, which is retained by the information retaining unit1325, to the image forming apparatus 1260. The transmission of theoperation-related information to the image forming apparatus 1260 may beperformed periodically (e.g., once a day), or each time the informationhas been updated. Moreover, the communication unit 1340 transmits theoperation-related information to the image forming apparatus 1260 alongwith the user identification information associated with theoperation-related information. One or both of the identificationinformation identifying the image forming apparatus 1230 and theapparatus information may furthermore be added to the information whichis transmitted.

When the use of the image forming apparatus 1230 is newly started, thecommunication unit 1340 can receive, from the image forming apparatus1260, carryover information which has been selected by the image formingapparatus 1260 from operation-related information already collected byexisting apparatuses. Upon receiving the carryover information, thecommunication unit 1340 outputs the received carryover information tothe information retaining unit 1325. The information retaining unit 1325stores the carryover information in the HDD 245 as operation-relatedinformation. In the present variation example, the operation-relatedinformation carried over in this manner can be information associatedwith specific instance of user identification information. Evenimmediately after the use has been newly started, the operationadjusting unit 1330 can adjust the image forming operations of theprinter device 100 to fit the preferences of a specific user, by usingthe carryover information provided from an existing apparatus andretained in the information retaining unit 1325.

3-3. Functions of Center Machine

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the image forming apparatus 1260 includes theuser identifying unit 1305, the user preference obtaining unit 310, thehistory obtaining unit 315, the environmental condition obtaining unit320, the operation adjusting unit 1330, the job control unit 335, acommunication unit 1360, an information retaining unit 1370, and acarryover unit 1380.

The communication unit 1360 receives, from the communication unit 1340of the image forming apparatus 1230, the operation-related informationassociated with the user identification information as described above.The communication unit 1360 outputs the received operation-relatedinformation to the information retaining unit 1370. Additionally, whenan apparatus starts being newly used in the image forming system 1101,the communication unit 1360 transmits, to the new apparatus, carryoverinformation selected by the carryover unit 1380 as described later, fromoperation-related information already collected in the past by existingapparatuses. The carryover information can be provided to the newapparatus in accordance with, for example, an information carryoverrequest which may be received from the new apparatus.

The information retaining unit 1370 centrally retains theoperation-related information collected by the image forming apparatuses1230 and the image forming apparatus 1260. Moreover, in the presentvariation example, the information retaining unit 1370 retains theoperation-related information in association with the useridentification information. The operation-related information mayfurthermore be associated with identification information and apparatusinformation of an apparatus that obtained the operation-relatedinformation.

In the present variation example, the information retaining unit 1370can manage the user identification information of the users who use theimage forming system 1101. The user identification information isassumed to be a user ID here. The user ID may be registered individuallyby each user, or may be preregistered collectively by a manager orengineer who administers system operation. The user ID may be registeredthrough a UI displayed in a screen of the user terminal 200, the imageforming apparatus 1230, or the image forming apparatus 1260, or may bepreregistered in storage or a database without using a UI.

Each user may attempt authentication using the authentication unit 1247of any one of the image forming apparatuses, and log into the imageforming system 1101 in the event that the authentication is successful.If the user preference information of a user who has logged in has notyet been obtained, the information retaining unit 1370 may cause a UI,such as the input window 400 illustrated in FIG. 4, to be displayed inthe screen of the apparatus in which the authentication is beingperformed, and may cause the user preference obtaining unit 310 of thatapparatus to obtain the user preference information. The user preferenceinformation obtained in this manner is then transferred to theinformation retaining unit 1370 along with the user ID of the user whohas logged in, and is retained by the information retaining unit 1370 inassociation with the user ID. Table 6 indicates an example of the userpreference information retained by the information retaining unit 1370.

TABLE 6 Example of User Preference Information Retained on User-by-UserBasis Image Energy User ID Quality Quietness . . . Savings ABC1000 2 5 .. . 6 DEF1000 9 4 . . . 4 GHI1000 — — . . . —

Likewise, the information retaining unit 1370 can retain the operationhistory information in association with the user ID. The method forobtaining the operation history information may be the same as in theexample described above, except that the operation history informationis obtained along with a user ID of a user who issued a print job. Table7 indicates an example of the operation history information retained bythe information retaining unit 1370.

TABLE 7 Example of Operation History Information Retained onUser-by-User Basis Number of Printouts per Number of Printouts perNumber of Printouts per Paper Size Paper Type . . . Printing Ratio RangeUser ID A4 A3 . . . Standard Glossy . . . . . . 0-1% 1-2% . . . ABC10000 100 . . . 98 2 . . . . . . 50 40 . . . DEF1000 150 10 . . . 160 0 . .. . . . 20 100 . . . GHI1000 — — . . . — — . . . . . . — — . . .

Table 8 indicates an example of the operation history informationretained in association with the apparatus identification informationand the user identification information. Here, the apparatusidentification information is a serial number, and the useridentification information is the user ID.

TABLE 8 Example of Operation History Information Retained onApparatus-by-Apparatus and User-by-User Basis Number of Printouts perNumber of Printouts per Number of Printouts per Paper Size Paper Type .. . Printing Ratio Range Ser. No. User ID A4 A3 . . . Standard Glossy .. . . . . 0-1% 1-2% . . . 1,234,567 ABC1000  0 100  . . .  98 2 . . . .. . 50 40 . . . DEF1000 150 10 . . . 160 0 . . . . . . 20 100  . . .GHI1000 — — . . . — — . . . . . . — — . . . 1,234,568 ABC1000  0 10 . ..  10 0 . . . . . . 40 40 . . . JKL2000 100 20 . . . 120 10  . . . . . .10 90 . . . MNO2000 — — . . . — — . . . . . . — — . . . 1,234,569JKL2000  10  0 . . .  5 5 . . . . . . 10 80 . . . PQR3000 — — . . . — —. . . . . . — — . . .

Note that processing for aggregating values of the information items ofthe operation history at job level (e.g., the paper size and the numberof printouts) into combination values (e.g., the number of printouts perpaper size) may be performed by any one of the individual image formingapparatuses 1230 and the image forming apparatus 1260 serving as thecenter machine.

The carryover unit 1380 carries over operation-related information outof the information obtained in the past by a certain image formingapparatus 1230 to another image forming apparatuses 1230, where thecarried over information pertains to the operations of an image formingunit of that other image forming apparatus 1230. This kind of carryovermay be performed in a case where an existing apparatus is replaced witha new apparatus, a case where a new apparatus is added to the system inaddition to the existing apparatus, and a case where a user uses aspecific apparatus for the first time.

For ease of explanation, it is assumed here that an image formingapparatus 1230C is newly used in the image forming system 1101, and thatbefore that use, one or more image forming apparatuses 1230 were alreadypresent. In the present variation example, out of the operation-relatedinformation obtained by one or more of the existing image formingapparatuses, the carryover unit 1380 carries over, to the image formingapparatus 1230C, information to be used to adjust or set the imageforming operations of the image forming apparatus 1230C. Morespecifically, out of the operation-related information centrallyretained by the information retaining unit 1370, the carryover unit 1380selects, as the carryover information to be carried over to the imageforming apparatus 1230C, information associated with the useridentification information of the user who will use the image formingapparatus 1230C.

For example, assume that in a situation where the operation historyinformation indicated in Table 8 has already been accumulated, a useridentified by the user ID “ABC1000” has logged into the image formingapparatus 1230C identified by the serial number “1234569”. In this case,the carryover unit 1380 extracts, from the information retaining unit1370, two records of the operation history information associated withthe user ID “ABC1000” as indicated in the following Table 9, andincludes the extracted information in the carryover information. Notethat the carryover unit 1380 may first total the values of theinformation items indicated by the two records and then include thosetotals in the carryover information. Additionally, such calculations maybe performed by the image forming apparatus 1230C which receives thecarryover information, rather than the center machine.

TABLE 9 Example of Carry over Information per User Number of Printoutsper Number of Printouts per Number of Printouts per Paper Size PaperType . . . Printing Ratio Range Ser. No. User ID A4 A3 . . . StandardGlossy . . . . . . 0-1% 1-2% . . . 1,234,567 ABC1000 0 100 . . . 98 2 .. . . . . 50 40 . . . 1,234,568 ABC1000 0 10 . . . 10 0 . . . . . . 4040 . . .

Note that in the present variation example too, the user may make arequest to the image forming apparatus 1260 for carryover of theoperation-related information by designating one or more informationcarryover sources in the screen of the user terminal 200 or the imageforming apparatus 1230C. In this case, it is possible to include onlythe operation-related information already collected in the past by thedesignated apparatus in the carryover information.

As described above with respect to the carryover unit 380, also in thepresent variation example, the operation-related information can becarried over as-is when the functions, configurations, and uses of thecarryover source and carryover destination apparatuses are substantiallythe same. Meanwhile, when the functions, configurations, and uses ofthese apparatuses are different, only some of the information items,selected on the basis of the comparison between the apparatusinformation of the apparatuses, may be included in the carryoverinformation. Information items of the user preference information whichare missing in the carryover information may be obtained additionallythrough a UI such as the input window 700 illustrated in FIG. 7. Also inthe present variation example, which information of theoperation-related information is to be carried over may be determined inaccordance with a predefined criterion for each information item in theoperation-related information.

Focusing on the above-described example of adjusting the preheating ofthe fixing roller 14, whether to place more importance on image qualityor energy-saving performance may differ depending on a user. Likewise,the frequency of prints made onto large-sized paper may also differdepending on a user. As such, identifying which user has logged into theimage forming apparatus 1230C and then carrying over theoperation-related information associated with the identified user to theimage forming apparatus 1230C can ensure that the image formingoperations of the image forming apparatus 1230C are optimal for thatuser. In the example indicated in Table 9, with reference to the numberof printouts per paper size for the user having the user ID “ABC1000”,the number of printouts for A3-sized paper is much larger than for othersizes. In this case, adjusting the preheating time of the fixing roller14 to be relatively longer, or adjusting the target temperature for thepreheating to be relatively higher, can provide a printing result havingthe optimal image quality for that user. Then, in the present variationexample, such preferences or tendencies of the user are carried overbetween apparatuses, which makes it possible to provide image formingoperations suited to that user without re-collecting information whichhas already been collected in the past.

The information carryover request made from the image forming apparatus1230 to the center machine may be made when the user logs in, or may bemade periodically. For example, the information carryover request may betransmitted from each image forming apparatus 1230 to the center machineat a predetermined timing, such as once per day, once every half day, orthe like. In this case, the information carryover request can include alist of user IDs of users who have logged into the apparatus in thecorresponding period. The carryover unit 1380 can then return, as thecarryover information, the operation-related information retained inassociation with each user ID listed in the information carryoverrequest. This periodic exchange of requests and information makes itpossible to reduce the amount of communication traffic in the system.

3-3. Flow of Processing

The flow of the basic processing executed by the image forming apparatus1230 in the present variation example may be the same as the exampledescribed with reference to FIG. 8. However, the operation-relatedinformation transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1260, which isthe center machine, in steps S802 and S809 in FIG. 8 is information forindividual users, and may be transmitted with the user identificationinformation added to each record of the operation-related information,for example.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingexecuted by the image forming apparatus 1260, serving as a centermachine, according to the present variation example. The processingillustrated in FIG. 13 can be realized by, for example, the CPU 242executing a computer program loaded into the RAM 244 from the HDD 1245of the image forming apparatus 1260.

First, in step S1301, the communication unit 1360 stands by to receiveoperation-related information from an apparatus in the system. Thesequence moves to step S1302 once the operation-related information hasbeen received. Meanwhile, the sequence moves to step S1303 if theoperation-related information is not received.

If operation-related information has been received from an apparatus inthe system, in step S1302, the information retaining unit 1370 stores,in storage, the received operation-related information in associationwith the user identification information (and the identificationinformation of the transmission source apparatus, as necessary) alsoreceived at that time. The information retaining unit 1370 may store thereceived operation-related information as-is, or may store a result ofsubjecting the information to some kind of aggregation processing orstatistical processing.

In step S1303, the communication unit 1360 stands by for the informationcarryover request. Here, the information carryover request may includethe user identification information of the user for which the carryoveris being performed. The sequence moves to step S1304 once theinformation carryover request is received. The standby for theoperation-related information in step S1301 and the standby for theinformation carryover request in step S1303 may be performedsubstantially in parallel.

When the information carryover request has been received, in step S1304,the carryover unit 1380 reads out, from the storage, theoperation-related information associated with the user identificationinformation of the target user. Then, in step S1305, the carryover unit1380 selects the carryover information from the read-outoperation-related information on the basis of the comparison of theapparatus information of the carryover source and carryover destinationapparatuses. Next, in step S1306, the communication unit 1360 transmitsthe carryover information selected by the carryover unit 1380 to theapparatus that is the source of the request (i.e., the carryoverdestination).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processingfor carrying over operation-related information, executed by the imageforming apparatus 1230 in the present variation example. The processingillustrated in FIG. 14 can be realized by, for example, the CPU 242executing a computer program loaded into the RAM 244 from the HDD 245.

First, in step S1400, the user identifying unit 1305 accepts login by auser and obtains the user identification information of the logged-inuser. Then, in step S1401, the information retaining unit 1325determines whether or not to request carryover of operation-relatedinformation of the identified user. For example, the informationretaining unit 1325 may determine not to request the carryover of theoperation-related information if the operation-related information ofthe identified user is already stored locally. In this case, theprocessing illustrated in FIG. 14 ends. Meanwhile, if theoperation-related information of the identified user has not beenretained, the information retaining unit 1325 determines to request thecarryover of the operation-related information, and the sequence movesto step S1402. Note that even if the operation-related information ofthe identified user is retained locally, the information retaining unit1325 may determine to request the carryover of the operation-relatedinformation in order to additionally receive carryover informationcollected by another apparatus. The information retaining unit 1325 maycause the carryover request window 600, illustrated in FIG. 6, to bedisplayed in the screen, and determine whether or not to request thecarryover of the operation-related information on the basis of the userinput.

In step S1402, the communication unit 1340 transmits the informationcarryover request to the image forming apparatus 1260. The informationcarryover request transmitted here may include the user identificationinformation of the user identified in step S1400. The informationcarryover request may further include the authentication information.Next, in step S1403, the communication unit 1340 receives the carryoverinformation provided from the image forming apparatus 1260 in responseto the information carryover request. The carryover information receivedhere includes the operation-related information for the user identifiedin step S1400. Then, in step S1404, the information retaining unit 1325stores the carryover information received from the image formingapparatus 1260 in the HDD 245 as the operation-related information usedto adjust or set the operations of the printer device 100 of the imageforming apparatus 1230.

Next, in step S1405, the information retaining unit 1325 determineswhether or not there are information items missing from the userpreference information included in the carryover information withrespect to the information items which can be used to adjust or set theoperations of the image forming apparatus 1230. If there is a missinginformation item, additional user preference information is obtained andstored in step S1406, and the additional user preference information istransmitted to the image forming apparatus 1260 along with the useridentification information in step S1407, in the same manner as in stepsS1006 and S1007 in FIG. 10.

The image forming apparatus 1230 then enters a standby state. Theprocessing executed by the image forming apparatus 1230 in the standbystate has already been described, and thus redundant descriptions willnot be given here.

Note that if the image forming apparatus 1260, which is the centermachine, also does not have operation-related information for thelogged-in user, a notification indicating that there is no carryoverinformation may be made from the image forming apparatus 1260 to theimage forming apparatus 1230 in step S1403, instead of receiving thecarryover information. In this case, the user preference obtaining unit310 of the image forming apparatus 1230 may obtain the user preferenceinformation through a user interface, in the same manner as in step S801of FIG. 8.

As described above, according to the present variation example, theoperation-related information associated with a specific user isselected from operation-related information collected by a plurality ofapparatuses, and the selected information is carried over to individualapparatuses. According to this configuration, the time required toaccumulate a sufficient amount of information for adjusting operationscan be shortened, and operations optimized for individual users cantherefore be realized more quickly. If such carryover is not performed,even if, for example, a newly-introduced printer has a function foradjusting operations in accordance with a user's preferences ortendencies, that printer cannot acquire the user's preferences ortendencies initially upon introduction, and is therefore only able toperform standard printing operations. Thus, personalizing or optimizingthe operations would only be possible after a sufficient amount ofoperation-related information has been accumulated over a relativelylong period of time. In contrast, according to the present variationexample, information is carried over per user, from operation-relatedinformation already collected on a user-by-user basis, and thus in anenvironment where a plurality of users use the system, personalizationor optimization specialized to individual users can be provided as soonas the user starts using the apparatus.

Although an example in which user IDs that identify individual users areused as the user identification information has been described here, thepresent variation example is not limited to this example. For example, agroup ID assigned to a group to which one or more users belong may beused instead of user IDs.

4. Conclusion

Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail thusfar with reference to FIG. 1 to 14. In the above-described embodiments,operation-related information related to an operation of an imageforming unit of a first image forming apparatus in an image formingsystem is carried over to a second image forming apparatus when thesecond image forming apparatus is newly used in the image formingsystem. The operation-related information which is carried over is usedfor an operation of an image forming unit of the second image formingapparatus. According to this configuration, appropriate image processingoperations can be provided quickly in the newly-used apparatus withoutwasting time on re-collecting information that has already beencollected by another apparatus. Moreover, in the above-describedembodiments, the operation-related information is information used toadjust or set an image forming operation. Accordingly, the second imageforming apparatus can appropriately adjust or set the operation of itsimage forming unit by using the operation-related information which hasbeen carried over.

Additionally, in the above-described embodiments, the operation-relatedinformation may include user preference information expressing a user'spreference with respect to one or more performance indicators of animage forming operation. In this case, the image forming operation canbe adjusted in accordance with the user's preference, which indicates,for example, what sort of performance indicators are important to theuser, and this in turn makes it possible to personalize the imageforming operation as soon as a new apparatus starts being used, withoutre-inputting the user preference information. This eliminates the needfor the user to re-input the user preference information, which lightensthe burden of the input operations.

Additionally, in the above-described embodiments, the operation-relatedinformation may include operation history information of a pastoperation of the first image forming unit. In this case, the imageforming operation can be adjusted in accordance with a tendency figuredout from the operation history, which makes it possible to optimize theimage forming operation on the basis of a tendency, such as a paper sizewhich is used frequently or an average printing ratio, as soon as thenew apparatus starts being used. In other words, the operation historyinformation obtained by the first image forming apparatus is carriedover to the second image forming apparatus which is newly used in theimage forming system, and the image forming unit of the second imageforming apparatus is controlled on the basis of that operation historyinformation. This makes it possible to make the image forming operationsof the second image forming apparatus suitable operations based on apast tendency, as soon as the apparatus starts being used.

Additionally, in the above-described embodiments, the operation-relatedinformation may include environmental condition information related toat least one of a past temperature and humidity in an operatingenvironment of the first image forming apparatus. In this case, byre-using environmental condition information accumulated in the past,image forming operations suited to the operating environment of a newapparatus can be provided as soon as the new apparatus starts beingused.

Additionally, in the above-described embodiments, the carryoverinformation may be selected on the basis of a comparison betweenapparatus information related to a function, configuration, and use ofthe first image forming apparatus with apparatus information related toa function, configuration, and use of the second image formingapparatus. In this case, information which is not suited to beingcarried over due to differences in the functions, configurations, anduses, and information which has no practical application for the secondimage forming apparatus, can be excluded from the carryover information,which makes it possible to reliably ensure that the operations of thesecond image forming apparatus will be suitable after the carryover.When the carryover information is selected in accordance with apredefined criterion for each information item in the operation-relatedinformation, information which is, for example, useful only for a singleapparatus and by nature is not suited to reuse between apparatuses canbe excluded from the carryover information.

In the above-described embodiments, examples in which the techniqueaccording to the present disclosure is applied in an image formingsystem including an apparatus that performs an image forming operationhave been described. However, the above-described technique for carryingover operation-related information can be broadly applied in imageprocessing systems including image processing apparatuses, such as, forexample, document reading or scanning apparatuses.

5. Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2019-227701, filed on Dec. 17, 2019 which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image forming system comprising at least afirst image forming apparatus, wherein the first image forming apparatusincludes a first image forming unit and an obtaining unit configured toobtain operation-related information related to an operation of thefirst image forming unit, and wherein the image forming system furthercomprises: a carryover unit configured to carry over, to a second imageforming apparatus, information related to an operation of a second imageforming unit of the second image forming apparatus among theoperation-related information obtained by the obtaining unit of thefirst image forming apparatus when the second image forming apparatus isnewly used in the image forming system, and the operation-relatedinformation includes operation history information of the first imageforming unit.
 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, whereinthe operation-related information is information used to adjust or setan image forming operation.
 3. The image forming system according toclaim 1, wherein the operation-related information includes userpreference information expressing a user's preference with respect toone or more performance indicators of an image forming operation.
 4. Theimage forming system according to claim 3, wherein the one or moreperformance indicators include at least one of image quality, quietness,productivity, apparatus lifetime, energy-saving performance, and firstoutput time.
 5. The image forming system according to claim 3, whereinthe first image forming apparatus uses the user preference informationto adjust or set an operation of the first image forming unit, the userpreference information having been obtained from the user via a userinterface, and the second image forming apparatus uses the userpreference information carried over by the carryover unit to adjust orset an operation of the second image forming unit.
 6. The image formingsystem according to claim 1, wherein the operation history informationrelates to at least one of a paper size, a paper type, a number ofprintouts, and an average printing ratio in operations in the past. 7.The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein theoperation-related information includes environmental conditioninformation related to at least one of a past temperature and humidityin an operating environment of the first image forming apparatus.
 8. Theimage forming system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-relatedinformation includes analysis result information generated by analyzingone or both of operation history information of the first image formingunit and environmental condition information of an operating environmentof the first image forming apparatus.
 9. The image forming systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the carryover unit selects theinformation, among the operation-related information, to carry over tothe second image forming apparatus by comparing apparatus informationrelated to a function, configuration, and use of the first image formingapparatus with apparatus information related to a function,configuration, and use of the second image forming apparatus.
 10. Theimage forming system according to claim 1, wherein the carryover unitselects the information, among the operation-related information, to becarried over to the second image forming apparatus in accordance with apredefined criterion for each of information items of theoperation-related information.
 11. The image forming system according toclaim 1, wherein the carryover unit carries over, to the second imageforming apparatus, information used to adjust or set an operation of thesecond image forming unit of the second image forming apparatus amongoperation-related information obtained by one or more image formingapparatuses including the first image forming apparatus that have beenpresent in the image forming system from before the use of the secondimage forming apparatus.
 12. The image forming system according to claim11, further comprising: a retaining unit configured to retain theoperation-related information in association with user identificationinformation, wherein the carryover unit carries over, to the secondimage forming apparatus, information associated with the useridentification information of a user that uses the second image formingapparatus among the operation-related information.
 13. The image formingsystem according to claim 1, further comprising: a server apparatusincluding the carryover unit.
 14. The image forming system according toclaim 1, wherein the first image forming apparatus includes thecarryover unit.
 15. An information carryover method, comprising:obtaining, by a first image forming apparatus in an image formingsystem, operation-related information related to an operation of a firstimage forming unit of the first image forming apparatus; and when asecond image forming apparatus is newly used in the image formingsystem, carrying over, by a carryover unit of the image forming systemto a second image forming apparatus, information related to an operationof a second image forming unit of the second image forming apparatusamong the operation-related information obtained by the first imageforming apparatus, wherein the operation-related information includesoperation history information of the first image forming unit.
 16. Aserver apparatus in an image forming system, the system including atleast a first image forming apparatus, and the server apparatuscomprising: a retaining unit configured to retain operation-relatedinformation related to an operation of a first image forming unit of thefirst image forming apparatus; and a carryover unit configured to carryover, to a second image forming apparatus, information related to anoperation of a second image forming unit of the second image formingapparatus among the operation-related information, when the second imageforming apparatus is newly used in the image forming system, wherein theoperation-related information includes operation history information ofthe first image forming unit.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing a computer program that causes a processor of aserver apparatus in an image forming system including at least a firstimage forming apparatus to function as: a retaining unit configured toretain operation-related information related to an operation of a firstimage forming unit of the first image forming apparatus; and a carryoverunit configured to carry over, to a second image forming apparatus,information related to an operation of a second image forming unit ofthe second image forming apparatus among the operation-relatedinformation, when the second image forming apparatus is newly used inthe image forming system, wherein the operation-related informationincludes operation history information of the first image forming unit.18. An image forming apparatus in an image forming system, the apparatuscomprising: an image forming unit; an obtaining unit configured toobtain operation-related information related to an operation of theimage forming unit; and a retaining unit configured to retain theoperation-related information obtained by the obtaining unit, whereinthe retaining unit is configured to carry over and retain, from acarryover unit of the image forming system, information related to anoperation of the image forming unit among operation-related informationobtained by another image forming apparatus present in the image formingsystem, when the image forming apparatus is newly used in the imageforming system, the operation-related information including operationhistory information of the another image forming apparatus.
 19. An imageprocessing system comprising at least a first image processingapparatus, wherein the first image processing apparatus includes a firstimage processing unit and an obtaining unit configured to obtainoperation-related information related to an operation of the first imageprocessing unit, and wherein the image processing system furthercomprises: a carryover unit configured to carry over, to a second imageprocessing apparatus, information related to an operation of a secondimage processing unit of the second image processing apparatus among theoperation-related information obtained by the obtaining unit of thefirst image processing apparatus, when the second image processingapparatus is newly used in the image processing system, theoperation-related information includes operation history information ofthe first image processing unit.
 20. An image forming system comprisingat least a first image forming apparatus, wherein the first imageforming apparatus includes a first image forming unit and an obtainingunit configured to obtain operation history information of the firstimage forming unit, and wherein the image forming system furthercomprises: a carryover unit configured to carry over, when a secondimage forming apparatus including a second image forming unit is newlyused in the image forming system, the operation history informationobtained by the obtaining unit of the first image forming apparatus tothe second image forming apparatus so that the second image forming unitis controlled on the basis of the operation history information.